***************
The ARRL Letter
Vol. 26, No. 36
September 7, 2007
***************

IN THIS EDITION:

* + FCC to Lower Vanity Call Sign Fees September 17
* + NATO Group Releases Report on BPL
* + Hurricane Felix Downgraded; Amateur Radio Nets Stand Down
* + New ARRL Contest Manager to Begin in October
* + ARRL Delta Division Director Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
* + ARRL in Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?
* Solar Update
* IN BRIEF:
This Weekend on the Radio
ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration
+ Pentagon ARC to Host Special Event Station Commemorating 9/11
+ The September/October NCJ Hits the Streets
ARISS Update
From the ARRL DXCC Desk
CONTACT! Is Out
ARRL Employment Opportunity
ARRL Introduces New Clothing Items for Women
Let Us Know What You Think


+Available on ARRL Audio News http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/

================================================== =========
==Delivery problems: First see FAQ
http://www.arrl.org/members-only/faq.html#nodelivery, then e-mail

==Editorial questions or comments only: S. Khrystyne Keane,

================================================== =========

== FCC TO LOWER VANITY CALL SIGN FEES SEPTEMBER 17

The FCC will reduce the regulatory fee to obtain or renew an Amateur
Radio vanity call sign by more than 40 percent starting September 17.
In
a Report & Order (R&O) released August 6, "Assessment and Collection of
Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2007," in MD Docket 07-81, the
Commission will cut the fee from its current $20.80 to $11.70. This
marks the lowest fee in the history of the current vanity call sign
program. The FCC is authorized by the Communications Act of 1934 (as
amended) to collect vanity call sign fees to recover the costs
associated with that program. The vanity call sign fee has fluctuated
over the 11 years of the current program -- from a low of $12 to a high
of $50. The FCC says it anticipates some 14,700 Amateur Radio vanity
call sign "payment units" or applications during the next fiscal year,
collecting $171,990 in fees from the program.

The vanity call sign regulatory fee is payable not only when applying
for a new vanity call sign, but also upon renewing a vanity call sign
for a new term. The first vanity call sign licenses issued under the
current Amateur Radio vanity call sign program that began in 1996 came
up for renewal last year. Call signs issued prior to 1996 are not
considered vanity call signs, even if the holder was able to request a
specific call sign.

Amateur Radio licensees may file for renewal only within 90 days of
their license expiration date. All radio amateurs must have an FCC
Registration Number (FRN) before filing any application with the
Commission. Applicants can obtain an FRN by going to the ULS
http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/ and clicking on the "New Users Register"
link. You must supply your Social Security Number to obtain an FRN.

The ARRL VEC will process license renewals for vanity call sign holders
for a modest fee. The service is available to ARRL members and
nonmembers, although League members pay less. Routine, non-vanity
renewals continue to be free for ARRL members. Trustees of club
stations
with vanity call signs may renew either via the ULS or through a Club
Station Call Sign Administrator, such as ARRL VEC.
License application and renewal information and links to the required
forms are available on the ARRL Amateur Application Filing FAQ Web page
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/reg...-filing-faq.ht
m
l. The FCC's forms page http://www.fcc.gov/formpage.html also offers
the required forms.

== NATO GROUP RELEASES REPORT ON BPL

The Information Systems Technology group, part of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization's (NATO) Research and Technology Organization
(RTO),
released their report, "HF Interference, Procedures and Tools"
(RTO-TR-IST-050), in June. This report "address[es] the concerns raised
by the potential for unintentional radio interference to be caused by
the widespread operation of broadband wire-line telecommunications
systems."

BPL, also called Power Line Telecommunications (PLT) in Europe, uses
existing power lines for telecommunications with data rates higher than
1 MBit per second. NATO said that since existing power lines were not
designed for such transmissions, "they will cause unintentional RF
emissions which may adversely affect the established radio noise floor
directly, or by cumulative propagation from many such sources. The
existing HF background noise possibly may be increased via ground wave
and/or sky wave propagation."

Not only could this be a problem for Amateur Radio operators, but NATO
said that military users would be affected as well: "Increase of the
existing HF noise floor by widespread use of PLT...will bring up
problems for Military Radio Users as well as for HF Communication
Intelligence (COMINT) in all NATO countries. The signal-to-noise ratio
thus may be reduced for tactical and strategic HF radio as well as for
fixed sensitive COMINT sites."

Saying that "PLT will produce the most problems regarding HF
interference,"the report makes the assertion that ambient noise levels
in Europe have not increased in the last 30 years. This was proved
using
measurements made by the ITU in the 1970s compared with noise levels
today, with the report saying that the "ITU Recommendations for natural
and man-made noise in the HF-range are still valid in Europe."

The NATO report said "[r]ecent measurements carried out in Germany and
Great Britain indicated that there is no remarkable difference between
these measurements, specifically no increase of the ambient noise in
quiet rural zones within the last 30 years. Based on these measurement
results, the cumulative interference field strengths far away from
telecommunication networks should not be higher than -15 dBuV/m (9 kHz
bandwidth) across the entire HF range, if no measurable increase in
minimum noise levels are to be tolerated."

Conversely, some European PLT proponents "in presentations and
discussions have argued (without being able to prove it) that ITU
recommendations based on measurements carried out in the 1970s are no
longer valid, as the man-made and the ambient noise levels have
increased since that time to considerable higher values (by up to 30
dB)."

The NATO report also indicated the following: A high probability that
PLT would cause increased noise levels at sensitive receiver sites
given
the projected market penetration; and the percentages are highly
influenced by assumptions on transmitter EIRP (equivalent, or
effective,
isotropic radiated power), PLT market penetration and duty cycle.

ARRL Laboratory Manager Ed Hare, W1RFI, was pleased to see the report.
"The findings described in this paper are based on good science. NATO
has concluded that protection levels well below 0 dBuV/m are needed to
prevent interference to sensitive HF operation. They studied distance
extrapolation and concluded that 40 dB/decade is not the correct factor
to use to make measurements at one distance, and related the measured
values to other distances. They also have advanced the state of the art
and determined that the aggregate noise from large scale deployment of
BPL will increase worldwide noise levels by skywave propagation."

Hare points out that NATO's report "pretty much echoes the ARRL's
pleadings during the BPL rulemaking." The ARRL has constantly argued
against the 40 dB/decade extrapolation factor that, while recommended
by
the FCC, the report found, "was not confirmed by measurements carried
out by other organizations."

The report acknowledges that there are no commonly accepted regulatory
emission limits from PLT and recommends that countries work together to
limit these emissions. "While it is highly desirable that the
regulatory
limits on PLT emissions be harmonized throughout the NATO countries,
the
RTG recognizes that NATO, by itself, has no regulatory authority over
the emission limits. Therefore, it is recommended that NATO seek the
implementation of this goal by working together with the national and
international regulatory authorities."

The full report, "HF Interference, Procedures and Tools," can be
downloaded in pdf format
http://ftp.rta.nato.int/public/PubFullText/RTO/TR/RTO-TR-IST-050/$$TR-
I
ST-050-ALL.pdf.

== HURRICANE FELIX DOWNGRADED; AMATEUR RADIO NETS STAND DOWN

As Hurricane Felix weakened rapidly over the mountains of Central
America earlier this week, both the Hurricane Watch Net and VoIP
Hurricane Net secured operations. According to the National Hurricane
Center, Felix could produce total rainfall accumulations of 6-10 inches
across northern Nicaragua and El Salvador, with 8-15 inches over much
of
Honduras. Up to of 25 inches of rain was possible in mountainous areas,
with these rains likely to have produced life-threatening flash floods
and mud slides.

On Tuesday evening, September 4, the Hurricane Watch Net secured
operations on 14.325 MHz after more than 20 hours of operation with
Hurricane Felix. Initially commencing operation on Sunday evening,
September 2, HWN gathered names, calls and specific locations of
stations that would be able to report real-time weather conditions in
the affected area and forwarded them to the National Hurricane Center
in
Miami. Getting this information beforehand ensured accurate reporting
of
a station's location when the storm actually arrived.

Two of the regular Net Control Stations -- Herman Cueva, HR1CP, in
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Hector Godoy, HR3HGB, in La Ceiba, Honduras
-- felt direct effects of the storm, but remained on the air available
to help.

In addition to getting real-time reports of conditions in the affected
area, the HWN also put out advisories in English and Spanish so that
stations in the area of Felix's path could know what to expect. These
reports were often relayed to the local authorities and media, since
oftentimes HWN was the only source of information; all power, telephone
and Internet were down. Butch Pieniek, NC4G (ex-WB4CKO), put in long
hours sending out advisories in Spanish.

The Hurricane Watch Net normally commences operation when a hurricane
comes within 300 miles of shore, or at the request of the NHC. It
operates with designated Net Controllers who are experienced in taking
these specific reports, net operations and especially working with the
NHC in Miami. HWN provides the latest storm advisories in English and
Spanish to those in the path of storms. The Hurricane Watch Net is a
directed Net, and requests that non-member stations not in the affected
area refrain from transmitting unless requested to do so by Net
Control.
A clear frequency is appreciated, since reporting stations in the
affected area(s) may be utilizing temporary or makeshift antennas,
battery power or operating under conditions that don't allow the
transmission of a reasonably strong signal.

The VoIP Hurricane Net was active from 0800 UTC, standing down at 0000
UTC Tuesday, September 4, to gather reports for WX4NHC, the Amateur
Radio station at the National Hurricane Center.

The President of Honduras lauded Amateur Radio on the Voice of Honduras
radio station: "The President of Honduras, Senor Manuel Zelaya Rosales,
says thanks to the community of radio hams for the aid." Andoni Axpe
Soto, EB1FGO, and a team of translators from the International Radio
Emergency Support Coalition (IRESC) brought this news to the VoIP
Hurricane Net.

IRESC also relayed a report to the VoIP Hurricane Net from Nicaragua TV
that 5500 homes were destroyed, 13,000 people had officially been
evacuated and 38,000 total people were affected by Hurricane Felix.

WX4NHC, the Amateur Radio Station at the National Hurricane Center,
monitored the VoIP Net and other systems to gather reports and
information. Julio Ripoll, WD4R, Assistant WX4NHC Coordinator, said,
"Felix was the second Category 5 Atlantic hurricane to make landfall as
a Category 5 this year. This has never happened before in recorded
history. The ham radio reports will be part of this historic
hurricane's
official NHC archives. WX4NHC extends its sincere thanks to all the ham
radio operators from many countries and Nets for being the link between
NHC and those in the path of this extremely powerful and dangerous
hurricane. We hope that our continued efforts to spread the hurricane
warnings will help save lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with those
people who were affected by Hurricane Felix, and hope that they can
rebuild their lives quickly." -- Tnx to John Ellis, NP2B, HWN Liaison
to ARRL, and Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Director of Operations, VoIP Hurricane
Net

== NEW ARRL CONTEST MANAGER TO BEGIN IN OCTOBER

The ARRL is pleased to announce that Sean Kutzko, KX9X, will be
assuming
the duties of ARRL Contest Manager beginning October 1. First licensed
in 1982 as KA9NGH, Kutzko developed a taste for contesting after
winning
the Illinois section in the 1988 ARRL Novice Roundup. Since then, he
has
been active in both HF and VHF contesting, as well as HF DXing and VHF
weak-signal communications.

A long-standing member of the Society of Midwest Contesters (SMC) and a
strong advocate of mentoring new contesters, Kutzko has won several
contest and DX awards, including several Top Ten finishes in the ARRL
Sweepstakes SSB contest as a QRP entrant. He has been on two HF contest
DXpeditions, including 6Y7M in the 1994 CQ WPX CW contest, and V26NA in
the 1997 ARRL International DX CW Contest. Kutzko also enjoys
activating
rare grid squares by going on "Grid DXpeditions" in the continental US
for the VHF/UHF community. In the late 1990s, Kutzko published a
regular
column in the National Contest Journal (NCJ) that focused on DX
locations available for hams to rent for contests or DXpeditions.

Kutzko holds a BA in communications from the University of Illinois at
Springfield and worked as an announcer and jazz host at National Public
Radio (NPR) affiliates in Illinois and Indiana throughout the 1990s.
Most recently, he was the Advertising and Marketing Director for Area
Diesel Service, a diesel parts company based in Carlinville, Illinois.
When he's not involved in Amateur Radio, Kutzko is an active musician,
playing guitar, drums and ethnic percussion, and is working on his
first
solo CD. He enjoys studying music history and has a diverse musical
appetite, ranging from classic rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, West
African highlife and even classical. He is a rabid baseball fan and
follows the Chicago Cubs religiously.

ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, said,
"I am very pleased to have Sean onboard. He is enthusiastic, bright,
and
an active contester, with VHF/UHF contesting and operating among his
favorite activities." Kutzko replaces Tom Hogerty, KC1J, who resigned
as
ARRL Contest Manager in early August to pursue other opportunities.

== ARRL DELTA DIVISION DIRECTOR RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

ARRL Delta Division Director Henry Leggette, WD4Q, received the
Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Mississippi Valley State University National
Alumni Association in June 2007. Leggette, a native of Kemper Springs,
Mississippi, graduated from then-Mississippi Valley State College in
1967 with a BA in automobile mechanics. After graduation, he was the
first MVSC graduate to receive an Amateur Radio license; there are only
two other MVSU alumni amateurs in the country. Leggette completed all
the undergraduate courses for a BSEE degree at Memphis State University
(now University of Memphis), and in 1987, he earned an MSEE from that
institution.

Leggette served three years in the US Army Signal Corps as a radio
repairman. He was stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia and Lenggries,
Germany. Granted a Top Secret clearance, Leggette repaired radios and
cryptographic electronic equipment.

Leggette had a distinguished US Civil Service career. He has served as
an electronics technician for the Federal Aviation Administration at
the
Memphis Air Traffic Control Tower and Memphis Air Route Traffic Center.
He has received extensive training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City
and at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He has held management
positions, including managing flight data processing and supervising
electronics technicians in charge of the Telecommunications and
Communication Unit at the Memphis ARTCC.

First elected Vice Director of the ARRL Delta Division in 1989, he has
served on Volunteer Resources, Membership Services, National Emergency
Response Planning and Public Relations committees. In 2005, he chaired
the ARRL Toy Drive. This nationwide project sent more than 5000 toys
and
$10,000 to children in areas affected by hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

A Life Member of the ARRL, Leggette became Director in January 2006,
succeeding Rick Roderick, K5UR, on his ascension to ARRL Vice
President.
He serves on the Administration and Finance, and Ethics and Elections
committees. An ARRL Volunteer Examiner and Certified Instructor,
Leggette also holds many ARRL awards, including Worked All States
(WAS),
5 Band Worked All States (5BWAS), DXCC, Worked All Continents (WAC), as
well as CQ magazine's Worked All Zones (WAZ).

== ARRL IN ACTION: WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO LATELY?

The 2007 ARRL National Convention, held in conjunction with the
Huntsville Hamfest, attracted thousands of visitors to its wide variety
of activities, exhibits and presentations. The centerpiece of the
Convention was ARRL EXPO. The 2007 Global Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Conference (GAREC-07), supported by the IARU, took place
just before the National Convention.

With graphics and public relations assistance from the ARRL staff,
Cliff
Segar, KD4GT, has installed a ham radio message on an unused billboard
on his property bordering Interstate 40 in Rockwood, Tennessee.

The ARRL is sending "specific mitigation reduction numbers" to 122
repeater owners in Massachusetts and California regarding the PAVE PAWS
radar system, as requested by the US Air Force and Department of
Defense.

Michigan's Genesee County ARES and SKYWARN were activated due to a
severe thunderstorms and a tornado touchdown near Fenton. A command
post
at the Seneca County (Ohio) Emergency Operations Center was activated
after a week of heavy rains inundated several Northwest Ohio
communities.

Editorial and production work has wrapped up on several new and revised
ARRL publications: The 2008 Handbook, The HF Digital Handbook, Low
Power
Communication, The ARRL Antenna Compendium Volume 4 and FCC Rules and
Regulations. All are either available now or are expected by early
October. The October issue of QST, and the September/October issues of
NCJ and QEX, were released to the printer. In addition, the August
edition of CONTACT! for public information volunteers was posted. The
winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for July is Jim DeLoach, WU0I, for
his article "Balloon-Lifted Full-Wave Loop Antennas."

Robert McGwier, N4HY, will present "A Stroll through Software Radio,
Information Theory and Some Applications" at the ARRL/TAPR Digital
Communications Conference Sunday Seminar in Hartford, Connecticut on
September 30.

In the only contested Section Manager race this summer, Bill
Hillendahl,
KH6GJV, was re-elected as the ARRL San Francisco Section Manager.

The final two ARRL Teachers Institutes were held at ARRL Headquarters.
In all, 48 teachers representing 45 schools from around the country
attended the four 2007 Teachers Institutes.

ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, has appointed Brent Zitting, KB4SL,
of Huntsville, Alabama, to serve on ARRL's ElectroMagnetic
Compatibility
(EMC) Committee.

All 2007 Field Day logs have been received and posted to the Claimed
Scores page on the ARRL Web site. A record number of logs were received
this year.

Earlier this summer, FEMARA made a $5000 donation to the ARRL
Foundation
to fund their New England FEMARA scholarships.

Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, compiled and forwarded the monthly ARRL
Monitoring
System report to the IARU Region 2 coordinator.

The ARRL UHF Contest and 10 GHz and Up Contest were held.

ARRL membership will exceed 152,000 at the end of August. The ARRL
Letter now distributes to more than 65,000 ARRL members each week. The
number of candidates who took ARRL VEC exams from January 1 through
July
30 nearly doubled between 2006 and 2007, from 16,954 to 32,373.

A number of ARRL staff, Board members, officers and volunteers traveled
to the Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference and the
ARRL National Convention in Huntsville, Alabama. Norm Fusaro, W3IZ,
traveled to Hamfair in Tokyo, while Ed Hare, W1RFI, attended the West
Virginia State Convention in Weston. In addition, Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG,
took part in the Kansas State Convention in Salina.

==SOLAR UPDATE

Tad "Little Miss Sunspot" Cook, K7RA, this week reports: In little more
than two weeks the Northern Hemisphere will see the autumnal equinox,
marking the start of fall north of the equator and the beginning of
spring south of the equator. The exact time when both northern and
southern hemispheres are bathed in equal sunlight is 0951 UTC,
September
23, 2007. Even with few sunspots, this is the best time for long
distance communications between hemispheres. Sunspot numbers for August
30-September 5 were 15, 14, 26, 14, 15, 14 and 15 with a mean of 16.1.
The 10.7 cm flux was 71.6, 70.8, 70.8, 69.4, 68, 68.2 and 67.6 with a
mean of 69.5. Estimated planetary A indices were 6, 7, 11, 23, 12, 6
and
12 with a mean of 11. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 4, 7, 9,
17,
8, 4 and 10 with a mean of 8.4. . For more information concerning radio
propagation, visit the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation
page http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html.

__________________________________

==IN BRIEF:

* This weekend on the radio: This weekend, don't forget the ARRL
September VHF QSO Party, scheduled for September 8-10. The NCCC Sprint
(CW) and the AGCW Straight Key Party are September 7. Another NCCC
Sprint (CW), the SOC Marathon Sprint and the Swiss HTC QRP Sprint are
September 8. The WAE DX Contest (SSB) and the Arkansas QSO Party are
scheduled for September 8-9. The North American Sprint (CW) and the
ARCI
End of Summer Digital Sprint are both September 9. The Tennessee QSO
Party is September 9-10, while the YLRL Howdy Days are September 11-13.
Next weekend, the ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest is September 15-16. The
NCCC Sprint (CW) is September 14 and 15. The SARL VHF/UHF Contest is
September 14-16. QRP Afield is September 15. Look for these contests
the
weekend of September 15-16: Scandinavian Activity Contest (CW), South
Carolina QSO Party, Washington State Salmon Run and the QCWA Fall QSO
Party. The North American Sprint (SSB) is September 16. The Run for the
Bacon QRP Contest and the 144 MHz Fall Sprint are September 17. The
NAQCC Straight Key/Bug Sprint is September 20. See the ARRL Contest
Branch page http://www.arrl.org/contests/, the ARRL Contester's Rate
Sheet http://www.arrl.org/contests/rate-sheet/ and the WA7BNM Contest
Calendar http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/index.html for more
info.

* ARRL Continuing Education course registration: Registration remains
open through Sunday, September 9, 2007, for these online courses
beginning on Friday, September, 21: Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications Level 2 (EC-002); Amateur Radio Emergency Communications
Level 3 (EC-003R2); Antenna Modeling (EC-004); HF Digital
Communications
(EC-005); VHF/UHF -- Life Beyond the Repeater (EC-008), and Radio
Frequency Propagation (EC-011). To learn more, visit the CCE Course
Listing page http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html or contact the
Continuing Education Program Coordinator .

* Pentagon ARC to Host Special Event Station Commemorating 9/11: On
Sunday, September 9, the Pentagon Amateur Radio Club (PARC) will
operate
a Special Event station commemorating the 6th anniversary of the
attacks
that occurred on the Pentagon, the World Trade Center and over
Pennsylvania in 2001. They will be operating on 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80
meters, both phone and CW where and when possible, with plans to
operate
on a 12 hour basis (1200-2400 UTC). There will be a special QSL card
available for stations that work K4AF. For more information, please
contact Claude Hennessey, KG4TVN. QSL via PARC, PO Box 2322, Arlington,
VA 22202. In addition, club members will operate from the station on
Tuesday, September 11 as part of the commemoration

* The September/October NCJ Hits the Streets: The current issue of NCJ
is loaded with everything today's contester needs. A review of
Elecraft's new K3 transceiver is inside, as well as a look at the
ergonomic tools contesters can use to make their time in the chair a
bit
more comfortable. Take a look at the 80 and 160 meter antennas at the
contest station of John Evans, N3HBX, and the SO2R set-up of Andrew
Ross, ZS6AA. Stroll down NCJ-memory lane with a glimpse back to the
beginnings of NCJ, as each of NCJ's editors talk about their stint and
the mark they left on both the magazine and the sport. All this and
more
in the September/October issue of NCJ. NCJ is published by the ARRL and
is a bi-monthly publication; it is edited by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA.
Subscribe at http://www.arrl.org/ncj/.

* ARISS Update: ARRL's Nebraska Section Manager Matt Anderson, KA0BOJ,
was at the radio controls initiating an ARISS QSO on August 29 between
astronaut Clay Anderson, KD5PLA (no relation), and students of the
Ashland-Greenwood School District in Ashland, Nebraska. Matt Anderson,
a
past president of the Ashland Amateur Radio Club, handled radio ops
with
Jim Shorney, NU0C; Art Zygielbaum, K0AIZ, and Carl Morones, N0ORL;
ARISS
Mentor Keith Pugh, W5IU, assisted in setting up the contact. The school
district formed a committee of teachers from grades K-12 to promote
technology and space science, and the AARC's educational talks fit in
perfectly. A half-dozen area TV and radio stations credited Amateur
Radio for the educational event with Matt being featured in a video
from
KFAB 1110 news radio
http://www.kfab.com/cc-common/news/s...html?feed=1593
7
7&article=2577691, as well as an article in Lincoln's Journal-Star
newspaper
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007...c46d60ab04e864
1
09929910.txt. NASA, ARRL and AMSAT co-sponsor the Amateur Radio on the
International Space Station (ARISS) program in the US, giving students
an opportunity to experience the excitement of Amateur Radio by talking
real-time directly with ISS crew members. - Tnx Rosalie White, K1STO,
ARRL ARISS Program Manager

* From the ARRL DXCC Desk: When sending cards to confirm 1x1 call
signs,
the ARRL QSL Service requests you note somewhere on the card the person
who requisitioned the call sign. This will expedite routing to the
proper station and may result in quicker processing of cards handled
through the ARRL US Incoming Bureaus. To locate the person responsible
for a 1x1 call sign, please visit the NCVEC's 1x1 Special Event Call
Sign Web page http://www.ncvec.org/1x1.php and enter the 1x1 call
sign. When the screen appears, select the 1x1 call sign based on the
event you worked. Click "Details" on the right-hand side of the page to
determine the person responsible for the operation (see "Requisitioned
By"). Remember, call signs may be issued more than once, so following
the above procedure will allow the QSL Service to direct it to the
proper person. For more information on frequently asked questions
concerning the ARRL DXCC program, please see the DXCC FAQ page
http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/faq/.

* CONTACT! Is Out: Are you an ARRL Public Information Officer (PIO) in
need of information? Check out the September issue of CONTACT!, the
monthly online newsletter designed to be a resource for PIOs, Public
Information Coordinators (PICs) and anyone with an interest in Amateur
Radio public or media relations activities. Each issue contains helpful
articles and tips to help you spread the good word about Amateur Radio.
September's issue features articles on National Preparedness Month,
Public Relations and Emergency Communications, ways to find out haw
many
licensed amateurs are in your community, Information on Scouting's
Jamboree on the Air, how to speak to your "internal" audience and press
release sites. You can view this month's edition at the CONTACT! Web
page http://www.arrl.org/pio/contact/.

* ARRL Employment Opportunity: The ARRL's Sales and Marketing
Department
is currently seeking a Product Marketing Specialist. The successful
candidate will play a key role in marketing ARRL books, CDs, supply
items and services. Direct marketing background and/or experience
required. Responsibilities include copywriting for products, sales
literature, catalogs and e-store; conducting direct mail and e-mail
campaigns; mailing list segmentation, and regular reporting and sales
analysis. A more complete job description can be found on the ARRL Web
site http://www.arrl.org/announce/jobs/. Resumes and related
correspondence should be sent to LouAnn Campanello, ARRL, 225 Main St,
Newington, CT 06111, FAX 860-594-0298, or via e-mail
.

* ARRL Introduces New Clothing Items for Women: Barker Specialties, the
League's clothing supplier, and the ARRL have introduced new apparel
items made especially for women. The ladies' line includes a yellow
pima
polo with a navy blue banded cuffs and a feminine Johnny collar, and a
slate blue ring-spun pima polo with a Y-collar and 2-button placket.
There is also a women's colorblock jacket, featuring a polyester mesh
lining and piping on inside seams, a zipper windguard, a hidden front
zip pockets, adjustable cuffs, a drawcord hem and weather-stopping
shell. All three of these items are embroidered with the ARRL logo.
Check out these new items, as well as the new items in the men's line
at
Barker Specialties ARRL Web page http://www.barkerspecialty.com/arrl.


* Let Us Know: What's your favorite part of The ARRL Letter? What kind
of stories would you like to see in the Letter? Would you prefer the
Letter in an HTML format? This is your Letter and your chance to let
your voice be heard. Please send your suggestions to ARRL News Editor
S.
Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, at , with the subject line "ARRL
Letter Suggestions." All messages will be read and discussed, and we
look forward to implementing positive suggestions into the ARRL Letter.

================================================== =========
The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the
American Radio Relay League: ARRL--the National Association for Amateur
Radio, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax
860-594-0259; http://www.arrl.org. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential and general
news of interest to active radio amateurs. Visit the ARRL Web site
http://www.arrl.org for the latest Amateur Radio news and news
updates. The ARRL Web site http://www.arrl.org/ also offers
informative features and columns. ARRL Audio News
http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/ is a weekly "ham radio
newscast"
compiled and edited from The ARRL Letter. It's also available as a
podcast from our Web site.

Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole
or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be
given to The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League.

==Delivery problems (ARRL member direct delivery only!):

==Editorial questions or comments: S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA,

==ARRL News on the Web: http://www.arrl.org
==ARRL Audio News: http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/audio/ or call
860-594-0384

==How to Get The ARRL Letter

The ARRL Letter is available to ARRL members free of charge directly
from ARRL HQ. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for
e-mail delivery:
ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site
http://www.arrl.org/members/. You'll have an opportunity during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of The ARRL Letter, W1AW
bulletins, and other material. To change these selections--including
delivery of The ARRL Letter--registered members should click on the
"Member Data Page" link (in the Members Only box). Click on "Modify
membership data," check or uncheck the appropriate boxes and/or change
your e-mail address if necessary. (Check "Temporarily disable all
automatically sent email" to temporarily stop all e-mail deliveries.)
Then, click on "Submit modification" to make selections effective.
(NOTE: HQ staff members cannot change your e-mail delivery address. You
must do this yourself via the Members Only Web Site.)

The ARRL Letter also is available to all, free of charge, from these
sources:

* ARRLWeb http://www.arrl.org/arrlletter/. (NOTE: The ARRL Letter
will
be posted each Friday when it is distributed via e-mail.)

* The QTH.net listserver, thanks to volunteers from the Boston Amateur
Radio Club: Visit Mailing
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/letter-list. (NOTE: The ARRL
cannot assist subscribers who receive The ARRL Letter via this
listserver.)